NEW YORK RED BULLS

February 11, 2013ERIC THE RED (BULL)Red Bulls get Alexander in another deal with Timbers

HARRISON, N.J. – The Red Bulls continued their wheeling and dealing on Monday as they obtained midfielder Eric Alexander from the Portland Timbers.

Alexander, 24, was acquired for allocation money.

It was the second pre-season trade between New York and Portland. On Dec. 3, the Red Bulls dealt for defender Kosuke Kimura and a natural second round 2013 MLS SuperDraft pick from the Timbers for allocation money and the MLS Homegrown rights for defender Bryan Gallego.

Alexander finished his second full season with the Timbers, playing in 24 games and registering a team- and career-high six assists. Alexander joined Portland from FC Dallas in a midseason trade for former Red Bulls defender Jeremy Hall on Aug. 19, 2011. Alexander played in a career-high 28 games that season.

“Eric is a young midfielder who has earned a large amount of experience during his three years in Major League Soccer,” said Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh said in a statement. “He can play a number of roles for us and we are pleased that he has joined the Red Bulls.”

In his 2010 rookie season, Alexander was part of the FC Dallas team that reached the MLS Cup final. He played in 17 games, recording two goals and three assists. Alexander’s efforts were noticed and he was called-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team in January 2011. He earned his first international cap against Chile on Jan. 22, 2011.

Timbers owner Merritt Paulson tweeted late Monday morning: "Will miss Eric Alexander. Good opportunity for him in NY and wish him success there. More player news this week."

Alexander was drafted in the third round (44th overall) in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Indiana.

According to Oregonian sportswriter Geoffrey C. Arnold, the trade was not surprising.

"Alexander played well in small spurts, but too often he disappeared on the field, which left some wondering about his confidence," Arnold wrote on the Oregonian website on Monday. "And with the Timbers possessing midfield depth of [Darlington] Nagbe, Diego Valeri, Will Johnson, Diego Chara, Jack Jewsbury, Rodney Wallace, Kalif Alhassan and Sal Zizzo, Alexander wasn't going to see many first-team minutes."